Making the Fur Fly

Three | Trae

The prime example of this was some lone wolf Dad had told us about who lived somewhere upstate and had become a very successful lawyer. He had a lot of influence in the supernatural world. Dad didn't know how the guy had done it, but his reputation was awe-inspiring enough on its own. Leroy and I would never reach that level, but we didn't aspire to. It was better to stay under the radar.

Leroy and I had no connection with any of these people, so I would probably never know. But I didn't care to. I was just relieved it had worked out the way it had. I let out a soft chuckle. "Well . . ."

"Well, what?" she asked.

"I'm glad you wanted to. It could have been really awkward, and that would have been such a waste. I like talking with you."

If only she knew.

I'd never felt so comfortable with anyone. Just sitting here and listening to her was more enjoyable than anything I'd done this week. Except when she dragged me into that bathroom, which was one of the best things that had ever happened to me. But it wasn't just her touch or the sound of her voice. It was the way she thought, how she spoke, her humor—

Oh, Mother, I was being so ridiculous. How was it possible to like someone this much after just one day? I couldn't even tell if I was so into her because she was my soulmate or if she was my soulmate because I was so into her.

I guess it didn't really matter.

"I like talking with you too," Mae said, a smile in her voice. "Though you haven't said nearly as much as I have. Tell me, what have you read lately?"

"Oh, um, I actually haven't read much lately. I don't read very often nowadays. I should get back into it."

I used to read more when I was in school. I was an introverted kid and bad at connecting with my peers, so I spent most of my free time in the library, but when my seventeenth birthday came around and my first shift, that changed. I started spending more time outside with my family, and now that Leroy and I needed to provide for ourselves, there was not a lot of time left.

"What do you like doing, then?" she asked.

"Drawing, mostly. I'm not very good, but I enjoy it. And I know this makes me sound crazy, but I really like my job. It's nothing fancy, though."

"What do you do?"

"I work for a maintenance and repair company."

"Oh, well, fancy or not, it's an important job. I would be helpless without you."

I smiled. "Yeah, and it's easy and pays the bills, so I have nothing to complain about. Aside from that, I do a lot of . . . hiking."

"Oh, yes, I remember! You told me you like the woods. Do you go out a lot?"

"About twice a week."

"We should go hiking together."

Yeah, taking her on one of my 'hikes' sounded like a great idea. I'm sure she would love it if I ran off and returned with a fluffy tail attached to my backside and a dead rabbit between my teeth. I bit back a laugh and replied, "Yeah, we should. I live right at the edge of the woods."

"How convenient. No need to drive anywhere."

"Yeah, it's amazing. I can show you some of my favorite spots, if you want?"

"That sounds fun. I'd love that."

"So what do you do—aside from reading?"

"Oh, I'm . . ." She trailed off when a voice in the background interrupted her to ask what she was doing. She sighed softly and said, "Hold on. Sorry, Trae, my aunt needs me. I have to go."